Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Chavez Call for UN Reforms

"Dictator Bush" is more popular in Denmark. Since the right came to power in 2001, Denmark has been one of the US' staunchest allies. Here Danish PM and foreign minister in dog chains. Cooperation with the Americans helps to sell Lurpak and getting good deals for Danish defence contractors:

At his speech to the UN general assembly yesterday Hugo Chavez spoke virulently against "dictator" Bush and the American quest for world domination, and he suggested some reforms of the UN system:

"... The assembly have been turned into a merely deliberative organ. We have no power, no power to make any impact on the terrible situation in the world. And that is why Venezuela once again proposes, here, today, 20 September, that we re-establish the United Nations.Last year, Madam, we made four modest proposals that we felt to be crucially important. We have to assume the responsibility our heads of state, our ambassadors, our representatives, and we have to discuss it.The first is expansion, and Mullah talked about this yesterday right here. The Security Council, both as it has permanent and non-permanent categories, (inaudible) developing countries and LDCs must be given access as new permanent members. That's step one.Second, effective methods to address and resolve world conflicts, transparent decisions.Point three, the immediate suppression -- and that is something everyone's calling for -- of the anti-democratic mechanism known as the veto, the veto on decisions of the Security Council.Let me give you a recent example. The immoral veto of the United States allowed the Israelis, with impunity, to destroy Lebanon. Right in front of all of us as we stood there watching, a resolution in the council was prevented.Fourthly, we have to strengthen, as we've always said, the role and the powers of the secretary general of the United Nations".

It is obvious there is a great need to reform the UN. Since the foundation of the organisation it has functioned more or less as a branch of the State Department in Washington. Whenever the US has been discontented with debates and resolutions in the General Assembly funds have been frozen, until the organisation became more malleable.

Now the US under the leadership of Bush is trying to bully the whole world to accept its manichean image of the world as a fight between good and evil. Actually the purpose is not so much to fight real life terrorists as to find a recipe for world domination.

However, the world is changing. The US is not so much a dominant power as it has been. The growing energy shortage is felt acutely. That is what gives a country like Venezueala considerable leverage. The US is becoming increasingly indebted because of the massive deficits in its balance of payments. That means that the rest of the world has to finance US militarism and quest for world domination.

This situation is becoming increasingly untenable. Even though the US enjoys considerable support from its docile allies in Western Europe, the world is in the midst of profound economic changes at the moment. Big countries that were previously seen as "underdeveloped economies" are gaining stature as still larger economies vying for markets and resources. How long will they accept American dominance?

Seen in that light it is high time that the Venezuelan proposals are taken seriously. The UN must be reformed so it reflects a sincere multilateralism.